Bounty Hunter
by o0oBeezelneffo0o
Summary: A story about a not so typical bounty hunter after a not so typical bounty... what happens when they meet? You'd be surprised... [SasuNaru] Summarys rubbish, i'm sorry...
1. First Encounter

**New story again. I'm coming up with lots of ideas and I want to share them now. This one I was working on last night and I just decided I would stick it up already and not bother waiting for ages like all my other stories. I'm still working on other ideas as well which I hope to stick up sometime soon. So, this is the first chapter – I hope you enjoy it. **

Chapter 1 – First Encounter

Naruto ducked behind a tree as arrow after arrow penetrated it.

"Crap, he's too good with that bow. I'm going to have to find a way to get it off of him", he thought. Naruto ducked down and crawled through the piles of dead leaves that covered the ground and ran behind each tree as more arrows were aimed in his direction as the criminal attempted to make his escape.

Shino Aburame – worth 100 Silver Kyes; a nice sum of money. Enough for Naruto to live comfortably for a few months – wanted for the theft of expensive jewellery at Nara Manor.

Naruto hid behind another tree, crouching down low and judged how far away the thief was from him. There was a good distance of about hundred metres. Shino was wanted alive so throwing knives were out of the question, so was his bow and his sword was not a long range weapon. If he could somehow close the gap between them somehow.

Naruto looked around and analysed the forest. It was a deadwood forest; the trees were practically black from the lack of life the forest held and there were piles of dead leaves everywhere. Naruto looked up to see the braches on the trees all broken or too delicate looking so going above was not an option. The sky was cloudy so Naruto knew it was going to start raining soon if he didn't wrap this capture up. The rain would pose difficult problems for both him and Shino.

Naruto knew that Shino was very good at avoiding capture; he was like an insect – flying out of reach, clever enough to evade capture of at least fifteen different bounty hunters. But he was not going to get away from Naruto.

Naruto saw that Shino had stopped – thinking that he managed to get away from him. He was catching his breath – Naruto had to act quickly so as to catch Shino before he made his escape. Going straight for him would mean risking a potential life-threatening injury – the thief was a very quick archer. Risking the long way meant that it was safer but more time consuming and he might lose his chance to capture the criminal.

Naruto decided on the long way and as quickly and silently as he could he sprinted and dived from tree to tree and managed to catch Shino from behind, unsheathing his sword and bringing it to the thief's neck.

"One slit across your jugular vein and you are a dead man. Do you want that to happen?"

"Huh...you can't use your scare tactics on me: I know I'm wanted alive", Shino sneered.

"Oh but didn't you see? They want you dead now since you are SO hard to catch", Naruto cooed, lying so easily, watching Shino's eyes widen slightly.

Shino smirked and managed to push Naruto back and get away from his grip. This annoyed Naruto so he grabbed Shino and kneed him in the stomach, who stumbled backwards. Shino reached for his sword and Naruto waved his around threateningly. The clang of metal on metal resounded through the silent forest and echoed loudly for what seemed like miles. Naruto clearly had the superior hand in the fight – he could see the beads of sweat appearing on Shino's forehead and his moves were getting slower. He expected that Shino relied too much on his archery skills and his sword was for emergency cases. Naruto continued to beat the man down expecting Shino to give up. However, Shino continued to press on – Naruto had seen plenty of openings where he could have cut off a number of limbs but he didn't want to damage the thief – the bounty would be reduced if that happened – and Naruto continued to dance with the thief. After several minutes, Naruto managed to knock Shino's weapon out of his hand and catch it. Shino immediately took the opportunity to punch Naruto who flipped backwards to avoid the full blow. Naruto quickly sheathed his sword and threw the other sword in to a nearby tree. It went straight through the first tree and continued onwards until it embedded quite deep in to another. Naruto got in to a defence position and started defending himself from the various blows he was being dealt. Naruto could see it was taking up all of the thief's energy and he knew that he was relying on a decent knock out punch. He managed to get a blow through Naruto's block which made Naruto stumble back slightly.

"Catch this!" Shino ran forward, reaching for an arrow at lightening speed and jammed it as hard as he could in to Naruto's arm. He watched and waited him to fall. Naruto looked at his arm and sighed – he yanked the arrow out and gently threw it aside to the ground. He looked in to the astonished face of his capture. There was no evidence of any pain or blood – what the hell?

"Now where were we?" Naruto smirked.

Naruto used the thief's bewilderment to his advantage and began delivering a few soft blows to the already weary and fatigued thief. Shino stumbled backwards and looked rather dizzy; Naruto kicked his legs out from beneath him. Shino collapsed on the floor, coughing and spluttering. Naruto put his foot on the thief's back.

"Wh-what are you? Shino gasped.

"Well, I don't know", Naruto said mockingly, "Maybe I'm human?!"

"No human can not be in pain and not be bleeding from my attack".

"Well, let's just say, I'm...special". Naruto smirked, "And you're coming with me".

Naruto picked up the thief. He tied a rope around his hands and then another around his feet. He attached another rope to his hands. Naruto walked over and yanked the sword out hard from the tree and sheathed it in the thief's belt. He took it off of him and attached it to his own belt. He rummaged through the thief's bag and found the jewellery that the thief had stolen – they were really beautiful pieces; emeralds, sapphires, rubies, diamonds and even several gold and silver pieces. Naruto sighed and attached the bag to his belt. He picked up the rope holding the thief, who had now passed out and started making his way to the nearest local village.

Naruto left the local jail-house with his money. He counted it blissfully, putting it in his money pouch he made his way to the local tavern. There were no big bounties up on the board so Naruto decided to check the local tavern for information instead. It was a small place but was still rather crowded. It was decorated with bright reds and all the furniture was made of wood, chestnut coloured. Lanterns were suspended from the ceiling to give light to the rather dark place – there were not very many windows and the windows there were very small, not letting in a lot of light. It had the look of a mysterious place for very hardened men.

Going to the bar meant he could eavesdrop on conversations of other bounty hunters to pick up the juicy gossip of the big expensive captures that had not yet been placed on the board. He also wanted to drink to his victory.

He walked up to the bar, several heads turning to look at him.

"Hey, who's the blonde idiot?" several people asked as well as other comments. Naruto ignored them and walked right up to the pretty bar lady. She had short curly blonde hair, rather pale skin and bright red lips. She gave Naruto a rather seductive look as he approached the bar with a small smile.

"Hey, can I get a large glass of whiskey please?" Naruto asked the smiling bar maid politely, sitting down on one of he rickety bar stools.

"Why certainly _sir_".

"Thanks, fair lady".

"Hey you! The prissy git sat at the bar, keep yourself away from my woman!"

A large man, fairly bulky with a stubbly face and a large nose came over. He had muddy brown eyes and he had the appearance of a strong man even if he wasn't. He glared at Naruto who seemed to find the man rather amusing.

"And how am I supposed to order a drink?" he answered, cocking an eyebrow at the man.

Naruto was at least a head and shoulders smaller than the man. It looked quite odd from any angle that Naruto was standing up to the man. Naruto was rather small for his age and had blonde hair, sparkling cerulean eyes and quite tanned skin. He had scars across his face that looked like whiskers and his smile made everyone else want to smile too. He was quite an odd guy considering he was only eighteen and was walking in to a bar ordering whiskey and getting in to fights with really large men. People around him shook their heads or laughed – whether it was at Naruto's statement or his stupidity he couldn't tell. It was obvious the guy was some local hotshot.

"Hey! What the hell is some tiny idiot in here trying to take my lady and acting like he owns everything? If you ain't careful, you'll just find yourself pretty badly hurt".

"Really?" Naruto scoffed.

"Right, your attitude is pissing me off! Get out of the bar!"

"I haven't had my drink yet – I intend to finish first". Naruto watched the man get more and more worked up by his responses and found it very funny.

"Right you asked for it". The man aimed a punch at Naruto's head but felt himself fall through the air, not hitting anything. Naruto was no longer sat in his chair.

"Well, if you move that slow, you can't really have that unbelievable look of amazement on your face", Naruto said from behind him. He was sat on the barstool behind the man, drinking his whiskey.

"What the hell?" the man gaped.

"Well, I wasn't about to let you punch me. I want a drink". Naruto downed the rest of his pint glass whiskey. "If you want a fight, let's take it outside – what weapon?"

"Bull, don't go fightin' tha' guy", the bar lady said sternly. "You jus' saw wha' h'ppened, you won' win!"

"Stay outta this Sandy!"

"Well, what weapon?"

"Fists! Real men fight with their fists!" Bull replied, relishing the chance to kick the blonde's ass and reclaim his dignity.

"Fine". Naruto took off the belt that held all his daggers, sword, arrows and his bow and placed them on top of the bar. He also took out the knives from all the concealed places in his clothing, the poisons and toxins he had stashed and placed all the other items he had for hurting people with the rest of his belongings. He took out of his pocket a pair of gloves with spikes on the knuckles.

"What? You said fists, right?" Naruto looked at the gob smacked man in front of him. It was quite hard to believe that the little blonde in front of him carried that amount of weapons around. Unnoticed – and also if he was carrying all that, it meant that he was experienced enough with all of the weapons.

"They're not allowed. This is a bare fists", Bull answered gruffly, trying to hide his already obvious surprise.

"Fine – I guess I should set the bar down really really _really _low for someone like you", Naruto said to himself aloud, "After all you must be so amazing and all", he added sarcastically.

"Yeah he is!" some men stood up and crowded around him.

"Do I have to fight all of you at once?" Naruto asked, "Because if you can have them and I can't have my gloves that's not fair!" Naruto said mockingly annoyed.

"No, you're just fighting me", Bull answered. He had a look on his face that was a mix of determination, anxiousness and wonder. Naruto knew how it was going to turn out and sighed – another village.

"Come on then, let's go". Look after my stuff darling – this will only take me a minute. And I know everything that's there so don't try and take it or you will feel my wrath", Naruto glared at everyone in the room.

Naruto walked outside, followed by his opponent, his lackeys and a lot of other spectators. Naruto could pick up the bets being made about the fight with his ultra sensitive hearing. "I guess, being in such a small village that I brought a little excitement", Naruto thought.

Naruto stood in position and waited for his opponent to be ready.

A man stood in-between the two contenders; "Now on the count of three", he stepped back out of the way, "1...2...3!"

Naruto stood there as the large man charged at him – "I'm guessing he's called bull because he charges like one", Naruto thought. Naruto dodged the punch, jumping on the man's beefy arm ran up and spun a kick around his face and flipped down to the other side.

The guy stumbled slightly from the force and turned back around. You could see the beginning of a bruise appear and blood trickled out of the corner of Bull's mouth. He spat the blood on to the ground and growled at Naruto, who stood there with his hands in his trouser pockets, simply staring at Bull. Bull charged again and this time he slid down to get a kick underneath. Naruto simply jumped over the man, watching him grind to a halt several metres away. Naruto charged at him as the man got up and punched him in the face – he delivered a series of blows all over the man's body finishing it off with a kick to the man's stomach, sending the man flying to the floor.

"Well, that was my workout for the day", he said, walking back to the bar, he smirked slightly as he glanced at the various people exchanging their money.

Naruto walked in to see several people turn and look his way – noticing that there was not a single scratch on him. Many people got up and went to look outside. Naruto picked up his stuff, placing it all back where it should be, gave the bar maid a wink and a cheeky kiss on the lips – watching her blush and wave at him as he left the bar.

Naruto walked over to Bull who was semi-conscious on the ground – he hadn't moved yet. He looked up at Naruto who was looking down at him, smiling he said, "The name's Uzumaki Naruto, don't forget it!" That was when Naruto spotted a piece of paper sticking out of the man's jacket pocket; the word WANTED was printed across the top. Naruto fished the piece of paper and read it. Folding it up and placing it in his own pocket, Naruto looked up the road leading out of the village.

"To Sangrella it is".

- - - - -

Reviews please...xx


	2. Hunter's Bar

**People say I am fast at putting up new chapters and stories and stuff and now that I think about it, this is my 35****th**** chapter up of my 6****th**** story and I have heard this about two months I think. I start sixth form soon so I think it will be slower but I will try to keep up the pace and add everything up soon. **

**Well, another chapter. Hunter's Bar is a reminder of a bar I used to visit a lot as a kid – a friend of my dad's used to run. Things change and I haven't seen that bar in years! But anywho, I hope people are enjoying this story, I have ideas to come which are quite hard to write down so I hope you enjoy reading it! **

Chapter 2 – Hunter's Bar

Sangrella is one of the largest cities out of all the five states; Central, North, South, West and East – it was the capital of the East. It was a large beautiful city that inhabited over two million people. The city was the city of the sun – it had not rained there in over one hundred years – so it was one of the biggest tourist attractions, being right next to one of the longest beaches in the East Country as well. Many big businesses had at least three stores set up in the city. And also, being one big city, there was obviously a lot of crime. That was why the Hunter's Bar was set up here.

The Hunter's Bar was the most well-known Bounty Hunter's spot – if there was a big bounty and you needed information, it was the place to go. Naruto knew several people there very well and it was time to go and pay a visit – especially after what he picked up from Bull back in Tergrina.

_**WANTED**_

_**Uchiha Sasuke**_

_**For questioning of the murder of Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto.**_

_**Also for questioning on the whereabouts of Uchiha Itachi.**_

_**Reward 200 Gold Anos**_

There was also a rough sketch of what he looked like. He had an odd haircut; his hair was dark with the same dark eyes. He had quite pale skin and from what the picture looked like, he was rather attractive. Naruto was already excited about this bounty. Firstly the reward was the most he had ever seen and also because there was not many people who didn't know the prestigious Uchiha family – they owned one of the biggest chains of bars and taverns across all five states. Everyone knew who he was. However, there was also the dark rumours you heard about the family as well. They were rumoured to have never got on and arguing over the business. It wouldn't be unheard of if one Uchiha had murdered the rest.

Naruto made his way down Fifteenth Avenue towards the back alley that held the entrance to Hunter's Bar. It had to be out of the way so normal people did not go and venture in there – you needed identification as a bounty hunter to actually go in. Naruto no longer needed his license for proof after all the times he had been there; he knew every employee and the owners. He had also a few contacts with government officials in there undercover as well.

Naruto was getting fed up of people bumping in to him – he wasn't a large guy at all – quite the contrary – but he was carrying a lot of stuff, his weapons took up walking space. He looked around and saw all the half naked men and women walking around, making their way to the beach and buying ice creams to cool down. A lot of people also seemed to notice him and point him out to their friends. Naruto was indeed wearing baggy dark clothes and carrying a lot of weapons in a very hot city surrounded by some what ordinary people. Of course people were going to say something.

Fifteenth Avenue was also one of the more busy streets – any business that was any business had a store down this street. Naruto noticed the one of the Uchiha's more elaborate bars was closed temporarily for delivery problems – though Naruto knew it was a complete lie. He was going to take a look but decided against it and made his way down a narrow side alley. He walked down for a few minutes before he came across a rather battered wooden door, splinters sticking out and marks in the wood evident.

Naruto rapped hard on the small door and it opened up to reveal a young guy with a cigarette in his mouth. He had dark eyes, a small mouth; his hair was tied up and spiky at the top. He looked at Naruto who smiled slightly.

"Naruto! Hey, how are you? Long time no see" the guy smiled and shook Naruto's hand in greeting.

"Heya Shikamaru, how you doing? I'm alright, got in to a bar fight the other day but came out of it fine – guy was a total idiot".

"Troublesome. Well, go on in, I have a feeling I know why you're here". Shikamaru nodded him in and moved out of the way to let him passed.

Naruto ducked his head under and walked in. from the outside it looked small and uninteresting but inside it was rather large – the largest bar/tavern he had ever been in, and it was hidden. It was a rather spectacular place in Naruto's mind although it looked like any other bar too anyone else. There was a large, long bar with stools and odd tables around the room. There was a massive notice board on the far right wall where no one was allowed to rip the bounties down – they were for everyone to see. If you wanted to follow one, you had to write the details yourself or memorize them. The room was lit up by hundreds of lanterns all around the room, on tables, hanging from the walls and ceiling. The colour scheme was of dark reds and navy blues and blacks. Naruto walked up to the bar, several people greeted him and clapped him on the shoulder as he went. He sat down on the stool and up a head popped up from behind the bar.

"Hey! Naruto! Long time no see, how are you?" the guy had red marks on his face, scruffy brown hair and dark eyes. he was tanned like Naruto and had an enthusiastic nature that was similar to his own.

"Kiba! Heya, fine, how are you?"

Kiba was the owner of the Hunter's Bar – it had been passed down from generation to generation through his family since bounty hunting was first established centuries before. Kiba had only been running the bar for a year or so since his old man passed away in a capture gone wrong, but Naruto had been friends with the family for ages. Kiba always knew the handiest tips about every important hunt and you had to do special favours for him and his family in order to get them. It was the rule about every Bounty hunter bar there was in any state. Kiba and Naruto had known each long enough and helped each other out on their various hunts so Naruto no longer had to do anything to get the good info.

"I'm great actually! Been doing okay this bar – a lot of people have been coming in since that new poster was stuck up – I think that's the reason you're here isn't it?"

"Yeah, the big bounty – 200! I wonder who out that bounty out there".

Kiba hushed his voice down very low and shuffled closer to Naruto. "I've got some intelligence about it. The Government at Central are set on finding the killer as the business in question does several dirt dealings and all that stuff and are relying on the big money they're paying in. Sasuke so far is the scapegoat and a lot of people have been thinking it wasn't him – but they need to make it look like they have any thoughts at all or they will look stupid. They want to find Sasuke soon".

"Really? You got any ideas on where he could be".

"Well, he was apparently last seen at their mansion but I heard that there have suspicions of him being in the East – about one hundred miles or so away in a small town called Friscon that's named after the Frisconian Waterfall which is a mile or so away from it. Rumours have been going around saying he was last spotted there – but if he is still there I don't know".

"Kiba thanks. Anything else I should know?"

"Yes, I want you to be really careful – you know more about this family than any other", he watched as Naruto shuddered slightly, "So I want you to give me your word that if this bounty is too much to handle, you will come back here to me and Shika will look after you".

Naruto nodded and smiled. "Don't worry, I give you my word".

"Good, now enjoy yourself whilst you're here. Tell me about what you've been up to".

Naruto sat there; drink in hand, talking about Tergrina and his fight with Bull and also about all the other hunts he had been on since he last saw Kiba a few months back. It was good – Shikamaru also joined at what point. Naruto asked how the business was going and what he had gotten other suckers to do for the chance of the information he had just been given. It turned out that he had asked one of them to give Akamaru a good warm up in the park. Akamaru was the size of a small bear and he was as ferocious as hell to strangers. Naruto laughed.

It was soon time to close the bar down.

Naruto was about to bode goodnight when Kiba grabbed him by the shoulders and demanded that he stay there.

"Naruto, you know I always have a spare room for you".

"Fine, I'll stay then".

Naruto smiled as Kiba's face lit up in delight. It was nice to see his best friend in so long.

"Well, come on – you must be tired so I'll let you go to your room. But before you do, can you please go and give Akamaru his food as I have to just finishing cleaning up".

"Sure thing", Naruto picked up the rather large overly filled bowl of food and walked off behind the back rooms. He spotted Akamaru snoozing in the corner on a giant checked blanket, drooling happily. He placed the food in the spot it usually is and he saw that Akamaru woke up straight away at its smell. He noticed the food and then he noticed Naruto and he was jumped on, Akamaru licking his face.

"Okay come on, down boy", he said grinning. He got up and directed the dog to his food, which he began gulping down instantly.

Naruto walked up the stairs and in to his room, which even had a plaque on saying it was Naruto's room. It was written in his own writing years ago when he used to live there. He walked in and the room was the same as ever. It had his snug single bed, his posters of criminals that he had caught all along the walls – some were a decade old. There was a large trunk underneath the small window that looked out to the view of the sea – oddly enough he got eh one with the good view. The room was painted orange with white clouds and silver swirls and the floor had a nice creamy coloured carpet. It also smelled like his dad. Naruto felt rather sad but soon shook it off and jumped on his bed – his feet still didn't stick out of the bottom seeing as he had slept in this bed for years.

Naruto took in all of the stuff and was happy that Kiba hadn't changed a thing – not that he would, he knew how much the room meant to Naruto. It reminded Naruto that he wasn't alone – even though ironically it was not because of the many pictures. It reminded Naruto of his strong friendship, the almost family feel, that Kiba and his family had given him after his own dad died years ago.

Naruto smiled and began to go tearing through his trunk. He found some rather odd things, a headband, his first penknife, and a pouch he used to wear on his right leg when he was little and out hunting as well as several other things from his old hunting days – the days when he wasn't pursuing criminals alone.

Naruto put everything away and jumped back on the bed, falling asleep on top of the covers, thoughts of old memories and new experiences, as well as the thought of Sasuke Uchiha on his mind and the determination of him catching him.

- - - - -

Reviews, please! Pretty please! Pretty pretty please!!!


	3. Inheritance

**Been a while since I've written anything for this story and I think it's about time I updated it. I had the start of this written down for ages but the end of it didn't come as naturally as I had planned. Rough notes for this story don't give me everything I need to write in my chapters so I really need to focus on this. **

**Once again, I'm writing FanFiction, updating and publishing instead of doing my essays for school ¬¬ - I don't advise ANYONE to do it, procrastination at this time of night is not the answer (midnight here)! It causes problems but if I can't do it now, when can I? Anyway enjoy the chapter and I hope to update quicker than before... :)**

Chapter 3 – Inheritance

"_DAD! DAD! NO! DAD COME BACK! DAD! NO!" The crying boy sobbed harder and harder as he stared at the tall blonde man running off in to the distance – hands around his waist stopped him from running after him. Those hands pulled against the boy and dragged him off in to such a familiar place. _

Naruto woke up suddenly and looked around. He grabbed at his head – another nightmare. He looked around and saw that he was lying in his old room. He then remembered why he was there. He got up and cleaned himself up before he heard a knock on the door and Shikamaru entered.

"Hey kiddo, Kiba wants to speak to you. I think it's important".

"Thanks Shika, I'm coming down now".

Naruto continued to get ready, packing up the stuff he needed, picking some things out from his old trunk and packed it away properly. He left his stuff in his room and he walked down the stairs to find Kiba. Kiba was in the front of the bar, preparing to open for the day. When he spotted Naruto, he stopped preparations immediately and walked over to him.

"Hey, Shika says you wanted to speak and I'm here! What's up?"

"Well..." Kiba fidgeted; his hand in his pocket. After several seconds, he pulled out something. He covered it with his hand and waited another minute before he held up and showed Naruto what it was.

"What is this?" Naruto asked, looking at the object.

"It belongs to you. It was once your dad's. He gave it to my dad for safe keeping; he said to give it to you if you ever needed to do anything with the Uchiha's. Dad told me when I was younger, asked me not to mention it to you until the time was right. Then when my dad died I thought about giving to you straight away but I wanted to respect my dad's and your dad's wishes. I hope that's okay. Well, if you ever needed this necklace now it's when you're going after Uchiha Sasuke as a bounty". Kiba looked apologetically at Naruto who smiled and gave Kiba a hug.

"Thanks Kiba. I really appreciate it – I don't mind; I would have wanted you to have respected your dad's wishes. What does this thing do? Is it special or something?"

Naruto looked at the necklace in Kiba's hand. It was a gold chained necklace with a pendant hanging off of it – it was a gold circle with a sheet of the gemstone carnelian in the centre. The orangey redness of the stone seemed to radiate a power of some sort that Naruto wanted to explore.

"Well, it's supposed to unlock some hidden reserves of power that you hold within you – you know: Kyuubi".

"Don't say its name", Naruto whispered – he felt something stir in his blood.

"Sorry, well here. It's now yours". Kiba dropped the necklace in to Naruto's outstretched hands. Naruto could see a faint light radiating from the gemstone as he placed it around his neck. As soon as Naruto had put it around his neck, he dropped to his knees; it sure was heavy.

"What's wrong?" Kiba asked, bending down to help Naruto up.

"It's...its really heavy", Naruto panted. He felt as though he had just run a marathon.

"It is?" Kiba asked, confusion spread across his face.

"I...I think it's...only like this...for me".

Naruto took some time standing up, adjusting to the abnormal weight of the object around his neck. As time continued, as Naruto was starting to get used to the weight, Naruto distinguished that the pull wasn't so much physical, but a mental pull. For some reason the necklace wanted to pull him down.

"Well, I think I'm getting more and more used to it. In no time at all, it should feel fine", Naruto said to Kiba. Naruto walked back up to his room and grabbed his stuff – the longer he dawdled, the more the information Kiba gave him would be useless.

"Well Kiba, it's goodbye again. Thanks for the info. Shika, I'll see you soon too", he called up the stairs and he head an unintelligible response back. "Goodbye Kiba". Naruto gave Kiba a hug and smiled at him. Kiba waved Naruto out of the door and watched his blonde friend as he walked through the busy crowds up the street.

Naruto approached the Frisconian Waterfall, pushing plants aside, cutting them down with his sword. The place was like an Amazonian jungle; tropical, boiling hot and very wet. The plants were greener than green and some sported bright colours that made Naruto want to shade his eyes away. Naruto had a feeling that Sasuke was hiding at the waterfall rather than the town of Friscon. It was more remote and only the most hardened of explorers ever visited the place – there were ferocious wildlife all over that visited the waterfall for the chance to drink. Naruto wasn't afraid – after all, nothing could hurt him with the power inside.

He carried on walking – he knew what the Uchiha's were capable of and as Sasuke was almost famous for his exploration and knowledge, he would come here at least one point whilst being on the run. As Naruto continued to stumble on through the perils of the jungle, facing wild animals and dangerous plantation, he eventually reached the beauty of the waterfall.

Naruto was astounded by the magnificence of the place; the remoteness helped its beauty so much more. As so many people couldn't or wouldn't brave through the jungle to reach the place, it made it ever so more enchanting. The water was bluer than blue, deep and dark, yet shining and beautiful as it cascaded down the shining rocks that seemed to glisten as the sun shined on the water. Naruto took a step closer, the plants growing around were wild flowers so beautiful that Naruto wanted to take them and make the most beautiful bouquet with them. The place was of such astounding beauty that Naruto was in plain awe. Even if Sasuke wasn't around, it was worth it just to see this. Naruto walked closer to the water and cupped some of translucent liquid in to his hands. He threw the water on to his face, to calm down his sweating skin – the heat was unbearable in all his warm clothes that he decided to take them off. He undressed down to his boxer shorts and assembled everything neatly on a side away from water and high out of reach to animals – unless they could jump very high – and dived in to the pool of water. It was a lovely temperature, not too hot or too cold and Naruto felt splendid, relaxing in the water. He still had the necklace around his neck and he was glad that the time he had spent walking around with it on made him finally get used to the odd sensation it caused.

_At least I know I'm not going to sink with it on_, he thought casually.

All thoughts of Sasuke and catching the enormous bounty were driven from his mind; he was far too relaxed to get out. It was after about an hour, when Naruto saw that his skin was starting to wrinkle that he finally got out off the pool of luxurious water. He dried himself off and left the towel on a rock in the sunlight. He climbed up to where he had left his stuff and started assembling. It would soon get dark and he needed to find all the proper materials to build a sufficient camp. He assembled the necessaries and cut down several branches and took the wood that had already fallen down until he had enough to build a shelter. He walked back to his spot next to the waterfall and started to build a shelter amidst the rocks nearby; it was covered, rather high, and he was near a water source and if he needed it, a supply of food as well. He made the shelter and covered the bottom with giant leaves and other plants to soften the floor. Naruto couldn't bring himself to cut any of the flowers so he decided on keeping his shelter plain and simple. After all, he wasn't decorating for the long run.

Darkness soon fell on the waterfall and Naruto could feel the coldness choke him as he tried to sleep. After he had eventually warmed himself adequately, he settled to sleep again.

More disturbing dreams crossed his mind.

_The little boy was running down a slope in a dungeon somewhere. The atmosphere was cold and uninviting; he was scared; he wanted his mother; he wanted his father; he wanted to get out. He didn't make a sound, in case they found him; he just kept on running until his little feet could stand it no longer. Shortly after collapsing, they found him again and it continued on… _

Naruto woke up to find that the sky was coloured beautifully – sunrise over the waterfall was a beautiful sight and one he wouldn't mind continuing to watch. But he needed to start his hunt for Sasuke again – he had procrastinated for far too long yesterday.

After eating a meal of stale oats and mixing it with hot water, he made a tasteless but fulfilling breakfast ready to get him moving. Naruto didn't care for tasteless food but it was the only thing he had.

_Ooh, give me a huge steaming bowl of ramen any day over this bowl of tasteless crap._

Naruto decided to leave everything in the campsite as it was, he was convinced that the shelter was enough to guard his possessions. He took his weapons with him and started patrolling around the areas of the waterfall. If Kiba's sources were right, Sasuke would come to the waterfall sooner or later unless he wanted to die.

The circumstances were suspicious enough so Naruto had already decided he was not going to kill Sasuke unless he had no choice. He wanted to get to the root of the Uchiha mystery and maybe find out some facts about him that he had wanted to know about for so long. It was unfair and he hated it. He wanted the answers; after so much tragedy, it's what he deserved didn't he?

After patrolling for a few hours, he made his way back to the shelter for lunch only to spot a dark haired male that looked to be taller than him cupping water to drink. Now was his chance!

Naruto made his way over to him and placed a sword to his throat. "Don't move Uchiha", he commanded sternly.

"Well, someone's already caught up to me. I guess I should be impressed", the tall raven replied, a hint of sarcasm laced in his voice. He didn't move; that meant he wasn't stupid.

"So what does the poster say? Dead or alive? That was the part of it I missed as I got away. Those posters do go up fast don't they? Well, with as big a bounty on my head then I'm guessing a lot of others are after me too".

Should Naruto reply to that? Any answer could get him in to trouble. He decided on pressing the sword closer to the Uchiha's skin.

"Okay. I'm taking you back alive but first I want some answers; to something conducted a long time ago".

The raven made some odd involuntary shake which caught Naruto by surprise. The move cut the Uchiha's skin but also allowed him to escape. He unsheathed his own sword and Naruto only just managed to deflect the immediate attack. The two young males danced in a circle, swords clashed; the sound of metal reverberated through the air of the quiet jungle. Naruto jumped up on to a large rock by the pool of water and brought the heavy sword hard down to the ground below where Sasuke was stood. Sasuke dodged and advanced on Naruto who met the attack with an immediate and solid defence. The two caught each other's eye and glared. The fight continued. There was no indication as to who the winner would be, at this early stage in the fight. The two opponents seemed so equally matched.

Naruto swung at the Uchiha in front of him and was blocked; he repeated the move again, throwing Sasuke off guard and just managing to get a rip in Sasuke's shirt, though missing his actual flesh. The dark haired male narrowed his eyes and struck back so ferociously that the blonde was caught off guard and Sasuke managed slit his sleeve, and the flesh on his arm was untouched. The fight escalated; each side attempted their best moves but were countered and blocked at every point. Both of the fighters also hid their surprise of the skill of their opponent, each getting more desperate for the satisfaction to beat them and win. Both kept their calm and composure and both had tremendous skill. It didn't seem to matter about the difference in height; they danced for what seemed liked hours.

Naruto jumped in the air and swung, aiming for Sasuke's head, who ducked and rolled, flipping back up as Naruto attempted a sneak attack from behind. The unrelenting fight carried on though the signs of fatigue were beginning to become more evident. It was then that Sasuke caught Naruto's sword with his own, leaving Naruto practically unable to swing his weapon, rendering it useless. Sasuke smirked; he aimed for Naruto's stomach but Naruto kicked out and twisted the swords in Sasuke's hand and they flew in to the pool of water next to them. They both watched as they sunk further and further down. Naruto took the opportunity and punched Sasuke in the jaw, taking the expensive bounty by surprise. Sasuke was slightly taken aback as he was now defending himself from the continuous attacks from the blonde in front of him. Sasuke realised that sword was not the only weapon the boy knew how to use. He was also annoyed that he had the advantage but lost it almost immediately – the blonde was good, perhaps too good. He needed to settle it soon.

Naruto punched Sasuke in the stomach and kicked him in the face. He flipped over to avoid Sasuke's counter attack, dropping down to the floor; he kicked at Sasuke's feet causing him to fall to the ground. Sasuke tried to counter with a kick of his own but Naruto jumped to avoid it. Sasuke used the split second to get up and punched the blonde across the face. The blonde stumbled slightly allowing Sasuke the time to slip in another hit before the blonde could position himself defensively. Sasuke caught the blonde in the stomach with his foot and as Sasuke made to hit again, Naruto grabbed his foot and spun him. Sasuke flipped back, creating several metres of space between the two fighters.

Panting heavily, they glared at each other, both were trying to think of a quick and clever strategy to put the fight in their favour – it had gone on long enough. It was time to end it. Sasuke was still trying to recover his breath when the blonde raced to attack him again. Naruto seemed to be slightly quicker than the raven in the fight and soon Naruto had the advantage on Sasuke. As he was about to make the knockout blow, after receiving strenuous blows to various body parts, Naruto closed in to make his final attack, however Sasuke managed to dodge just in time. Naruto couldn't recover in time before he was smacked in the face. Sasuke pushed the blonde in the rock wall and held up a knife to his throat.

"You're Uzumaki Naruto aren't you?" Sasuke waited for some form of conformation from the blonde before he continued on.

"Yeah and what of it?" he eventually answered.

Sasuke stared at the obviously inquisitive blonde. "Curious aren't you? Curious how I know your name? Ever heard of the saying curiosity killed the cat – or in your case, the fox". Naruto glared harder at the Uchiha, wishing daggers were to escape from his eyes and stab the Uchiha there and then. However, the odd thing was that Sasuke looked neither happy; perturbed; excited nor seemed to react to the news at all. His face was blank, expressionless; but if Naruto could point out an emotion, it would either be relief or sadness.

"What are you going to do? Oh so you know who I am? Big deal! Just kill me then!" Naruto looked hard in to the eyes of Sasuke who seemed to stare lifelessly back.

"I don't want to kill you; I actually have a proposition for you".

"What?"

"I want you to help me", Sasuke simplified.

"Why the hell would I help you? I'm after the bounty on your head. I want to hand you over; I'd be glad to get some revenge on your godforsaken fucking stupid family; you broke mine apart. Do you seriously think I'd help you?"

"No, not willingly but I'll force you to help me". Sasuke continued to stare at the blonde in front of him.

"No you can't, you have no way of getting me too. I can't get hurt", Naruto said.

"Oh but I think I know something you don't" Sasuke said. Naruto glared at him. "You see Naruto, after what happened through my family all that time ago, I found out a secret. I knew one day I would meet you and one day that piece of information I discovered would be useful". Naruto watch as Sasuke moved the knife away from his throat and pinpointed a small spot on his arm. He cut down it, and Naruto held his breath; he felt the pain, he saw the blood. He looked to Sasuke in horror, starting to struggle as he looked in to the cold lifeless black eyes.

"You see Naruto. Only those of Uchiha blood can harm you now".

- - - - -

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Man it took longer than I anticipated writing it but I hope I satisfied you all XD xx


	4. Decision

**I wonder if I was a sword designer in a past life or something but I LOVE swords, weapons of all kinds really. I wish I owned a katana – now that would be awesome. I only did fencing once when I was really young so I don't know if I really would be a good sword fighter but I know I suck at archery so no doubts that I wouldn't be a bow-women XD. I like designing weapons, I dunno, I guess you could call it a hobby:S But anyway, enjoy the next chapter! I hope my weapon terminology isn't too bad! xx**

Chapter 4 – Decision

"What the hell are you talking about?" Naruto spluttered after several minutes staring at the emotionless Uchiha.

"You know and I know. Everything that my family did made you who you are; the experiments".

Naruto flinched.

_No; don't come in to my head; no; don't! Stay away! No! "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"_

Sasuke almost let go of the blonde in surprise as Naruto screamed that, his face contorted from sudden pain. Sasuke noticed the necklace around his neck glow slightly before dimming down and returning to its original state. Sasuke looked at the blonde who glared at him – heat radiating from his eyes that glowed slightly crimson, before returning to the original bright blue.

"Shut up! Let me go you bastard!" Naruto struggled against the vice like grip of Sasuke; who watched on, expressionless; the cogs in his mind spun as he tried to analyse what had just happened. After looking at the blonde for several minutes, he decided to ignore the sudden outburst.

"You don't like me; I get that. You hate my family; I get that. You're a bounty hunter and I have so much money on my head; I get that. But I am the only who can kill you and YOU need to get that".

Sasuke released Naruto who dropped to the floor in shock.

"So what are you going to do? Help me or die?" the raven narrowed his eyes at the unperturbed blonde on the floor.

"How AM I supposed to help you? Am I supposed to be your body guard?"

"No doubt that your skills actually impressed me but that's only a part of what I want you to do. I want you to help me prove my innocence".

"What innocence?"

Sasuke turned to face the blonde, bent down and grabbed him by the shirt, bringing his face closer to Naruto's. "Listen you, I AM innocent. I did not kill my parents – my bastard of a brother did!"

Silence followed the statement except the flapping of a family of birds as they took to the skies. Sasuke released his hand from Naruto's clothing and walked a few paces away, folding his arms. Naruto was taken aback by the sudden rage of the Uchiha – but he still didn't know if he could trust him yet. Before Naruto could utter a single word, Sasuke started to talk.

"I walked in to my home; the home I was about to leave for independence; I was going to say goodbye the next morning properly to move on with my life. But I walked in to the living room, their bodies were just...just littered on the floor; no respect, nothing. They were mangled to the point I could barely tell them apart". Sasuke looked at his hands and saw the blood drip from his fingers, slithering down his arm like a snake. He shuddered ever so slightly but Naruto being perceptive noticed. "There was nothing I could do – I was in complete shock. So I ran. I ran away, hoping to just come back and see them alive again. I did love my parents; I didn't want them to die".

Sasuke stared in to the distance, refusing to look at the blonde behind him.

"I...I recognised the blade work on the bodies – it was unmistakeably his", Sasuke said before Naruto could speak, Sasuke answered the question that Naruto wanted to know. "Though I still have no idea why".

"When I finally felt I could go back, I had some people after me – bounty hunters – already after the bounty on my head. Apparently someone saw me run from the scene, covered in blood. I didn't know those posters went up so fast", he turned around and smirked slightly at the blonde, who was still on the floor, leaning against the rock surface next to the waterfall.

"For someone who has so much money and power you sure don't have a lot of intelligence do you?" Naruto finally uttered, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You ran. You said you were in shock but only guilty people run. You also have a motive – you receive your family's fortune if they die right? And the fact that your brother is missing as well, with pools of his blood also at the scene causes you to be accused more than him, especially as he looks as though he is dead. Since there is no body they wouldn't conclude that until he is found. There is also no signs of any struggle there either so that also adds to the indication that it was you. If someone knew where you were at the time of death or if you have proof, you could still get away with the alibi. But it is the fact that you ran that makes you dense", Naruto explained.

Sasuke stared at the blonde slightly impressed. He was making sense – yet again, the blonde surprised him. He was taken aback by how well informed he was. The blonde really was too good; he didn't look to be too intelligent or strong yet he was both. If he agreed, Sasuke thought, that he would be the most valuable ally.

"I'm a bounty hunter so I obviously know the inner workings of crime and justice", Naruto stated looking at Sasuke, who inwardly jumped slightly. It was like he was reading his mind.

"Actually, I'm reading your expression", the blonde continued, "What you're thinking is portrayed all over your face. This only confirms my opinion of your stupidity you know".

Sasuke smirked and looked as though he was about to laugh before walking back to Naruto. He placed his hands on his hips and bent down slightly to look closer at the blonde, who met his eye and did not back down.

"Are you going to help me or not?"

"Have you any idea how to prove your innocence?"

"No".

"This is just getting pathetic. Fine, I'll help you. It pains me to see how stupid you are in the crime department – it's a wonder they think you actually committed the crime at all".

"Well I bet I am smarter in every other department than you".

"That maybe true, you went to school. I however, beat you in the crime and justice as well as with the whiskey".

"You drink whiskey? You look barely old enough to have a smoke!"

"How old are you then Uchiha?" Naruto asked casually.

"Eighteen, I'll be nineteen in just under a few months".

"Wow, really? You and I are the same age then", Naruto smirked.

"What? I'm the same age as you? That can't be true", Sasuke looked the blonde up and down. He was quite a bit smaller than himself, barely looked a day older sixteen. The blonde smirked at him.

"Get a good look all you can as I'm not going to be kissing your ass", he said. Naruto stripped off some of his clothes and jumped in to the luscious pool of water. After several minutes down without a breath and Sasuke just beginning to think that he had drowned, Naruto came up for air, holding the two swords. He climbed out and shook the water off of himself, splashing Sasuke in the process.

"Damn idiot", he muttered.

"Here, take it. Looks too good to be just thrown away especially when it's blended with silver. That's not something you see every day", Naruto threw the sword to the raven who caught it and made his way to his camp to collect up his stuff. Sasuke watched the blonde.

_Very interesting. _

He turned to look at his sword – it was indeed something of spectacular quality – rubies and black hematite stones encrusted in the rounded pommel and square cross-guard – the blade made of a combination of silver and steel, an unusual mixture that caused it to be a rare make but that made it just that bit better than the ordinary. The scabbard was also decorated similarly but the design was a gothic style. The blade was the average length – fitted to his arm when he custom made it and the width matched it, to make it the perfect sword for him to hold. It was a work of beauty and Sasuke was surprised Naruto seemed to know of its properties. Sasuke sheathed his sword and asked to inspect Naruto's who just threw it at him. Muttering about safety, he examined Naruto's sword. His wasn't the standard sword usually bought by bounty hunters, plain and not styled, Naruto's was a rather odd sword; the style and delicacy of the design and the amount of money it must have cost caused Sasuke to think that Naruto preferred the sword as his favourite option of weaponry – light as a feather, long and thin, the cross-guard was shaped in a pointed arch, the grip wrapped with black leather. A piece of black ribbon was tied to the pommel that was ring-shaped, which was unusual. Sasuke wondered where Naruto had got it and what properties made it so light – Sasuke knew that steel wasn't the only element in the blade – but what was the other? Sasuke handed the sword back to Naruto without a word – lost in thought.

"So, like my sword?" Naruto asked as he began to pack, shaking his head to get rid of some of the water from his hair.

"It's...unusual".

"Didn't think you'd like it – not your kind of thing. Yours is too stylised, you would have thought you just wanted it to look good. It's weird you would actually fight with the thing – get a sword as hard as mine as its opponent and it might snap".

"What are you talking about? My sword has the strongest element combination. As hard as diamonds".

"Yes but diamonds can be smashed with a hammer", Naruto turned to smirk at the Uchiha who was beginning to get annoyed.

"Then what the hell is yours made from".

"Minerals".

"What?"

"There is a special mineral that has long since been lost to the land that mine was made from. I saw it in a weaponry shop and I had to have it. The owner didn't know how valuable it really was and so it was a bargain. Mind you, it still cost a fair bit. But I had saved up enough of my reward money by then so I could afford it. Best investment I ever made".

Sasuke bit back the retort he was going to make – he had been taught about swords and how to make them and this mineral was never mentioned. Did that mean that Naruto was perhaps not telling the truth? Sasuke unsheathed his sword and examined it closer. He couldn't see anything wrong or different about it until he was about to sheath it again – it was then he spotted a tiny crack in the middle of the blade, the place that got the most abuse in his fight with Naruto. Sasuke was about to say something but dropped the subject and watched Naruto continue to pack up without another word.

It didn't take long for Naruto to pack up his stuff but as Sasuke was about to make his way out of the jungle, Naruto perched himself down on a rock that was flooded with sunlight.

"Oi, what are you doing? We have to go!"

"No we don't. By the time we get halfway through the forest, it will get dark – walking through the forest is much too dangerous in the dark and we have better resources for a camp here".

Yet again, the blonde made sense. Sasuke smirked. He was actually beginning to like the blonde. Not only had he agreed to help even with everything the Uchiha family did to him, he was quite entertaining.

"Okay, fine".

"Right, now, sit your ass down here, have some crappy nasty food and you need to explain every tiny detail about what you know is happening", Sasuke sat down on the rock next to Naruto, "Has your brother been acting strange lately? What about your parents? Notice anything strange? What were you doing that night? All of the details of the day would be nice unless it includes something I really don't need to know about like sleeping with some girl down an alley" – Sasuke turned and gave him a reproachful look – "Fine, guy then", - the statement earned him a hard punch in the arm – "and just generally important information. Anything that I can turn in to something that will help you".

"Fine, but you also have to explain the real reason why your helping me", Sasuke said, turning to look the blonde in the eyes.

Naruto stared in the cold eyes of the Uchiha and didn't speak – expression blank. He seemed to sit in silence staring at the unblinking Uchiha until he sighed. "Fine", he answered eventually.

Sasuke explained to Naruto everything that had happened that day that he could remember. He elucidated about spending time with the movers, making sure all his furniture had arrived at his new apartment, taking up most of the day. He also walked down to the local shops to buy some food and something for the movers who were getting peckish. He stayed with them for ages and he could remember all the names and everything that they were talking about. Sasuke had hardly spoken to the movers as they seemed to look at him oddly due to him being someone so well known. He was polite to them when he did speak but he was already too lost in thought most of the time to make much sense of what they were doing. He doubted that they would lie about anything. It was about seven o'clock when Sasuke had made his way down to his parents' house and saw that they were already dead. After that he ran off and started travelling trying to find a safe haven to think what to do. And that brought him to what he was doing now.

"Well, that's all I can remember", Sasuke rounded off. "Not much help I'm guessing", looking at the look on Naruto's face.

"Give me some time, I'll think of something".

"Your turn now. Why are you really helping me? My family has made your life hell haven't they? If we really are the same age I won't remember anything about it. I know some of the sketchy facts but no details. Why are you interested in helping me when I have nothing to tell you about it? Plus, I have let my guard down so much since I let you go and yet you haven't taken advantage of it".

"Well, you put it like that then I really don't have any reason to. But let's just say I'm drawn to you for some reason. One – you're a good fighter, two, you are one of the people who can actually kill me and three; I just want to see where this goes. I haven't had a great challenge in some time now and I think this might turn out in my favour. After all, I can always trick you in to thinking I'm helping and hand you over for the money, or get money for handing in your brother, or from you for helping you out. You have enough of it. And also, I'm not low enough to attack you when you're not expecting it".

"Hey, I'm letting you live as your reward for helping me, okay? Don't start anything with me as I will beat you".

"I'd like to see you try".

"I beat you earlier didn't I?"

"No, technical default there. Had you not knocked away my sword, you'd be in pieces or in jail. Your choice".

"Well that least expect it thing is bullshit also. You didn't hesitate earlier in our fight".

Naruto smirked but remained silence. He cleaned up the cutlery and bowls they were eating with and sat back down to Sasuke.

"You are in trouble, I get that. You want me to help you, I get that. But I am a very unpredictable person and YOU have to get that", Naruto smirked and walked off in to the jungle leaving a slightly bewildered Uchiha in his wake.

- - - - -

Reviews would be oh so welcome XD I love them... xx


End file.
